Hg.s 



S 633 
.n65 
Copy 1 






Soil Fertility 



ADDRESS 

BY 

MR. W. A. MISKIMEN 



Delivered before the 
Ohio Canners Asso- 
ciation at Cincinnati, 
December 11th, 1917 




Published by Authority of Finance Committee 

of the 

National Canners Association 

Washington, D. C. 



TRANSFERRED FROK 

PERIOD :CAL BtViStOSi 

fta 16 1818 






The real difficulty in preparing a short paper on Soil Fertility is to 
decide what can best be omitted. When we stop to consider that, as a 
matter of record, permanent agriculture has been discussed for over 
twenty centuries, that thousands are studying it in our colleges today, 
that books and bulletins treating of it exist by hundreds, it is a problem 
to select that material which will best combine interest and value. The 
Bubject is highly complex and so intermingled with chemistry and 
mathematics that it is small wonder any present-day, practical farmers 
who really wish to become familiar with the science of their industry 
are overcome with the apparent amount of detail to be mastered, and, 
becoming discouraged, go back to the old routine, doing about what they 
see the other fellow doing. Taken as a whole, the farmers of this 
country now realize that our soil is not an inexhaustible mine from 
which crops can be taken indefinitely, without something being done 
to replace those things which the crops remove. It is fervently to be 
hoped that the farmers of the Middle West, the territory in which we 
are most interested, will inform themselves soon enough and think far 
enough ahead to avoid wearing out their land. For while wornout laud 
can be "brought back," that process is many fold more expensive, both 
in time and money, than the maintenance of present fertility. In addi- 
tion to such maintenance, it is further to be hoped and expected that 
they will learn and apply methods resulting in a substantial increase 
ot the crops produced per annum from any given area. Much is to be 
done if these fond expectations are to be realized. There is a growing 
sentiment in favor of maintenance and increase of soil fertility, but the 
application of the idea in the Middle West is still in its infancy. As a 
matter of fact, things have been a little too easy. That is hardly the 
way to express it, either, as the farmer's life is far from being one of 
ease; but the land is still so good in some sections that comparatively 
abundant crops are the rule with no soil treatment except good tilling. 
Let us, rather, say that the farmer heretofore has been too easily satis- 
fied. Formerly a very nominal crop supplied him with everything he 
required and a little something left over for a rainy day, but now, with 
the spread of broader education, the closer communication between 
rural and urban communities, his requii'ements and those of his family 
have multiplied. He is on the lookout for means to increase his re- 
sources, and thus be able to secure those benefits heretofore uncon- 
sidered, but now deemed necessities. Therein lies the way to reach a 
farmer's interest; for, like any other human, he can best be appealed 
to by means of that which affects his own welfare. 

Some of you may disagree on this next point, but, in my opinion, 
that which we are pleased to term modern, highly-developed civiliza- 
tion is founded not on necessity but on desire, and its achievements 
were brought about not because men needed more than they had but 
because they wanted more. 

As mentioned above, the farmer is casting about for ways and 
means of increasing his resources. His greatest material resource, 
naturally, is his farm, and right there is certainly plenty of room for 
improvement. Reluctantly admitting to himself that he cannot secure 
something for nothing, many a good, practical farmer is trying to 
arrive at a system of permanent agriculture, but is groping in the dark. 
He has hopefully started reading articles in his farm j)apers, only to 
stumble over unfamiliar chemical or technical terms. He gazes at the 
analysis tags on sacks of commercial fertilizer, and they might as well 
be printed in a foreign language. It is just so much jargon to him. He 
puts a carload of rock phosphate here and some "Sure Shot Corn 
Grower" there, and quite likely has no idea whatever as to just what 

1 



his land really needs, either in treatment or in materials. Many 
farmers still think that a fertilizer is a fertilizer, regardless; and that 
when they spread so many dollars' worth on an acre they should secure 
several times that much in additional crop value the next year, also 
regardless. The natural retort in answer to all of the foregoing is that 
the farmer should study up on these things. He should get busy, if you 
please. Gentlemen, he is already busy. His working day is limited not 
by time-clocks or factory whistles or office schedules, but by the number 
of hours of daylight, with a few more thrown in for good measure 
when climatic conditions or sickness require extra care for his stocks 
The tasks on a farm are never completed. It would be unreasonable to 
expect that the bulk of the present-day farmers will ever become soil 
experts or finished chemists. Not only must the research and expei'i- 
mental work be done for them, but permanent agricultural systems for 
different conditions must be perfected and placed at their disposal, so 
that they will need give attention only to local details and minor 
differentiations in order to apply the one best suited to their respective 
farms. This work the agricultural schools and experimental stations 
are doing now, and doing it well. But while they are busy securing and 
classifying information, others must be at work carrying it in graphic, 
convincing and understandable form to the farmer working at home. 
They must also help him in applying it to his own particular conditions 
or difficulties. In this part of the work each one of you has a distinct 
duty to perform, which we will mention again later. 

Now with regard to the soil, plant life, and plant food, there are a 
fe"\v, simple facts and first principles which even the busiest farmer 
should know, and while they are familiar to all of you, it might be well 
to recall them briefly to mind. 

For purposes of illustration and comparison, let us consider a farm 
as a manufacturing establishment, just the same as a cannery, or watch 
works, or any other factory. Think of the soil as the shop or work- 
room where such processes in the making of the plant as can be helped 
or retarded by the farmer are carried on. First of all, in order to 
secure the best results, this work-room must be in good mechanical and 
sanitary condition. That condition is brought about by proper drainage, 
careful tilling, and the application of such substances as may be neces- 
sary to counteract or neutralize unfavorable properties. These latter 
may be of two kinds — physical, as in a case where the soil is so com- 
pact and stiff as to limit the feeding range of the plant roots; or 
chemical, as in the case of so-called acid soils. It happens that one 
material, lime, helps to correct both of the above conditions. It not 
only improves the texture of a heavy soil, but also reduces the acidity 
of sour land, thereby greatly increasing the power of the legume crops 
to transform the insoluble organic nitrogen of the soil into soluble 
nitrate nitrogen, the form in which it becomes available for plant food. 
Bear in mind, however, that lime by itself merely improves the condi- 
tion of the soil workshop. It acts as a stimulant and speeds up produc- 
tion of the finished article from the materials in the soil, but lime alone 
does not replace any of the materials which ordinarily become deficient 
by constant cropping. Therefore, lime, if improperly used, will mate- 
rially hasten the ultimate ruin of the land. This is one of the various 
pitfalls which beset the way of a farmer who is poorly informed. Take 
land plaster, for instance, which is native calcium sulphate. At one 
time it was heralded far and wide in some parts of this country as a 
fertilizer. Its promoters would mark the word "plaster" in large letters 
in a field adjacent to some traveled highw^ay and apply to the letters a 
heavy coat of the material. Then, when the grain crop or grass came 
on, the word "plaster" could be read in the heavier growth. As a matter 
of fact, this land plaster supplied no plant food whatever of commercial 
value. It did not even have the virtue enjoyed by lime, of being able 
to correct soil acidity. It was a stimulant, pure and simple, and in 



addition to hastening tlie deterioration of the soil, its continued use 
made the ground very hard and difficult of cultivation. There should 
always be held in mind a definite distinction between soil treatment 
which merely stimulates and that which maintains fertility while 
giving high yields. 

Now, let us assume that oiir workshop in the soil is in first-class 
condition and has started to manufacture or produce. What is going 
on? Simply this: Certain raw materials are being put together and 
made ready for harvest in the form of corn, peas or whatever the crop 
may be. Will this process continue indefinitely simply by sowing seed 
and cultivating? It will not. Each time a crop is removed a certain 
portion of various substances is subtracted from the finite amount of 
these substances originally contained in the soil. The factory is using 
up its stock of raw materials in producing the finished goods, and those 
raw materials must eventually be replaced if the factory is to continue 
in successful operation. 

This brings us to the question of plant foods. There are known to 
chemistry some eighty or more basic elements which unite in various 
ways to form many thousands of combinations or compounds of widely 
diverse character. For instance, sugar, starch, fats and alcohol are ail 
composed of just three elements — carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Plants 
are composed of many compounds, but usually contain a total of only 
fifteen basic elements. Of these fifteen, five are said to be unnecessary 
to plant growth, leaving ten that are essential for that purpose. Three 
of the ten — carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen — are obtained by the plants 
from air and water. The remaining seven (with the exception of nitro- 
gen in the case of the legumes, such as clover, soy beans, etc.) must be 
present in the soil, and, furthermore, must be in such form as to be 
available or capable of being taken up by the plant roots. The seven 
elements referred to are nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, 
calcium, iron and magnesium. It is interesting to recall that these 
seven elements constitute only about 5 per cent of the common agri- 
cultural plants, but, nevertheless, they are, under normal conditions, 
the limiting factor in the size of a crop. When any one of them is 
deficient in available form, the yield is reduced, as deficiency in one 
element cannot be remedied by surplus of another. 

I will not take your time here to discuss the weight of each of these 
elements contained in 2,000,000 pounds of average soil, which is the 
weight commonly accepted for the top soil to a depth of 6 2-3 inches 
on one acre, nor to figure the amount of each element removed by an 
average crop. Suffice it to say that sulphur, iron, magnesium and cal- 
cium are present in most soils to last for a very long period. Potas- 
sium, that which we ordinarily speak of as potash, is sometimes low, 
but not nearly as often nor to the extent that has heretofore been sup- 
posed. We may therefore say, speaking of general conditions, that 
nitrogen and phosphorus are the most extensively deficient plant foods 
on our Middle West soils. At any rate, they are the first to be depleted. 

Our problem, then, of arriving at permanent soil fertility while 
securing good yields in the grain farming system resolves itself into 
this proposition: Provide proper drainage, good tilth, furnish the 
necessary substance to give the land reasonable stimulation and neu- 
tralize abnormal conditions, and by all means maintain or increase the 
supply of essential plant foods. 

Furthermore, these things must be done at the least expense, for 
what interests us is not the gross but the net. One method might 
produce series of large crops, but be very costly to apply, and some 
other system giving smaller yield might show a much better profit. 
Realizing the grain farmers' growing need for information along these 
lines. Dr. Hopkins, of the University of Illinois, has given much time 
and attention to the subject. In his address before the Western Canner 
meeting last month he brought out, among many others, the following 
« 



points: There are in operation in Illinois at present forty-two experi- 
mental fields, averaging about 20 acres each. Upon these fields there 
are being tried out, under the soil and climatic conditions found there, 
methods of enrichment which it is hoped will lead to the permanent 
maintenance and enlargement of the productive power of the land. 
Some of these fields have been in operation for many years. From 
investigations so far made, it is recognized that on the common soil 
types of Illinois and those of like character in other States three mate- 
rials are needed to make them richer than they were in their virgin 
condition. The first of these is vegetable matter carrying nitrogen, and 
in practicable farming that must be home gi'own, first because the 
nitrogen is secured so much more cheaply that way than in commercial 
form, and, second, because the vegetable matter has great value in other 
ways. It helps retain water, prevents extremes of soil temperature, 
makes sandy soils more compact, and renders stiff clay land more 
friable; also its decomposition sets free products such a carbonic and 
organic acids, which dissolve additional plant food from the mineral 
part of the soil. 

The second material needed is natural limestone, in its original 
state, except that it be crushed. Experience to date indicates that it 
should be reduced to a point where the largest pieces are about a quar- 
ter of an inch in diameter, in which case the total product would, of 
course, range on that size down to a fine powder. If ground too fine, 
there is liability of considerable loss through leaching. 

The third material needed is phosphorus. This is carried in various 
forms — raw bone meal, steamed bone, acidulated bone, acid phosphate, 
basic slag, and ground natural rock. Without entering into any dis- 
cussion as to the inherent advantages or relative costs of the various 
forms, would simply state that ground natural rock is easily secured in 
the Middle West under any ordinary conditions, is inexpensive, and 
gives very good results over a term of years where used in connection 
with the vegetable matter mentioned above. 

As a result of application of the above materials, allow me to quote 
some figures given by Dr. Hopkins which are representative of the 
results secured on various crops. These figures are for wheat, and are 
averages for a number of years. In making these tests the regular crop 
rotation ordinarily used in grain farming was followed on the entire 
field. On one part of the field everything was taken off each year, 
including stalks, straw, etc., and nothing returned. The average wheat 
yield on this was 13 bushels per acre. On the next part all residues of 
crops grown on that portion were returned. The yield was 20 7-10 
bushels per acre. On the next part the residues were returned and 
limestone applied, producing 31 7-10 bushels per acre. On yet another 
portion, furnished with residues, limestone and fine-ground rock phos- 
phate, the average was 44 2-10 bushels per acre. In connection with 
the above, consider this: The work of preparing the ground, cost of 
seed, planting and whole care of the crop was the same for the 13 
bushel yield as it was for 44 bushels. 

That brings up the question of land value or earning power as 
infiuenced by crop increase. Suppose, for instance, that a farm is aver- 
aging 40 bushels of field corn per acre and other crops in proportion. 
If the corn yield were brought up to 60 bushels, or, rather, if the various 
crops were increased by 50 per cent, the land value would not be in- 
creased by merely the same percentage, but would be practically 
doubled. It is the same old matter of overhead that we have always 
with us in our canneries. After the fixed expense is taken care of, 
Increased production in any business runs up the earning power very 
rapidly. You can make your own estimate as to what doubling the 
yield Avould do to land values, and it is conceded that the Middle West 
is producing for an average at present just about half what it is capable 
of producing. Fifty-eight years ago Abraham Lincoln commented on 



the discrepancy between a 50-bushel wheat yield which he knew to be 
possible and the United States average, which was 18 bushels. He held 
it a certainty that study and experimental work were the keys to greatly 
increased productivity. His opinion was sound and has stood the test 
of time. Now, gentlemen, it goes without saying that you, as canners, 
are vitally interested in the securing of continued good crops. Most of 
you are engaged to a large extent in preserving perishable products, 
and therefore must depend on land in a relatively small area surround- 
ing each of your respective factories. If the producing power of that 
land decreases, the scope of your operations will also decrease, and at 
a rapid rate. Each canner may have an excellently constructed plant, 
equipped with the most advanced types of machinery, together with a 
force trained to high efficiency in the preserving of food products, but 
the whole organization stands helpless unless there are, existing and 
accessible, in quantities to match the normal factory capacity, the food 
products which are to be preserved. All of which come directly from 
the soil. 

On the other hand, consider the benefits which would accrue to the 
canner in the case of substantial increase of general crop yields. The 
capacity of many canneries is limited by the amount of raw material 
that can be secured. In others, the material and the factory capacity 
are fairly well balanced. In most any case, however, this capacity could 
be easily enlarged and at minimum expense, as the main buildings, the 
executives, the sales force and the firm's commercial standing are assets 
which already exist, are paid for, and can usually accommodate addi- 
tional business without strain. In other words, increased crop produc- 
tion in any section w^ould not only increase earning power of the land 
at a compound rate, but it would have precisely the same effect on the 
canneries of that section. We are told that agriculture is the most 
independent occupation. In a way it is, and if Middle West soils were 
allowed to grow poor the farmers would be able to jog along and secure 
enough for food and clothes long after the canneries were forced to 
close up. 

It has been pointed out that bankers, physicians, editors, teachers 
and ministers, having trained minds, should acquire correct and ade- 
quate understanding of the fundamental principles of soil improvement 
and exert their infiuence over those who are less able to secure such 
positive information, lest the lands become so impoverished as to sup- 
port only the farmers thems-elves, who, of course, have the first right 
to the food they produce. The canner should be placed at the head of 
the list, for he can get closer to the farmer on matters agricultural than 
can anyone else. Work hand in hand with your county advisers. If 
your particular counties have no adviser at present, help get them. 
They are a paying investment. It was mentioned herein as the canner's 
duty thus to carry pertinent information to the farmers of his commu- 
nity. Duty is not the word. It is too abstract, too general. Duty is 
that which ought to be done. We all have duties which to a certain 
degree we do not perform. This is a necessity, and its performance is 
indispensable to the perpetuation of our business. Likewise it is a rare 
privilege giving us opportunity to secure for ourselves both intellectual 
and material benefits while doing our share to preserve and amplify 
the resources w'ith w'hich nature has so liberally endowed our lands. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




000 937 402 4 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



D0DD^374DaH 



Hollinger Corp. 
pH8.5 



